Expression-controller.



F. G. WHITE.

EXPRESSION OONTROLLER. APPLICATION-FILED JAN. 27, 1913.

Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

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on wwuw coLummA PLANOGRAPM (IO-.WASHINGTON. D. L.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK C. WHITE, 0]? MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE WILCOX & WHITE COMPANY, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

EXPRESSION-CONTROLLER.

Application filed January 27, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK C. VIIITE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Meriden, county of New Haven, Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Expression-Controllers, of which. the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in music playing instruments and note sheets therefor, and consists in providing a new and useful means for automatically con trolling the expression of the composition being rendered.

The character and importance of the improvements will be apparent when the construction and mode of operation is understood.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of certain parts of a player mechanism including my invention. Fig. 2 is a relatively enlarged section detail view.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide means controllable by perforations in a note sheet for varying, either momentarily or for a prolonged period, the effective tension within the action, whereby the action will operate on the sounding devices with different degrees of vigor, depending upon the tension prevailing therein.

1 represents conventionally the action of a pneumatic player mechanism.

2 represents the exhauster.

3 represents what I may term a chokerbox arranged in the air circuit leading from the action to the exhauster. In this particular instance at is the circuit pipe which leads from the action 1 to the choker-box 3, while 5 is the circuit pipe leading from the choker-box 3 to the eXhauster 2.

6 is a valve arranged in a passage within the choker-box and which is designed to be automatically operated in the manner hereinafter described. 7 is another valve which may be manually controlled for the purpose of adjustment or regulation, such a valve being by preference used, although not essential to the broad invention herein described.

8 is a pneumatic, the backboard of which is suitably connected, as by a rod 9, with the valve 6. Vhen the pneumatic 8 is distended, the choker valve 6 is closed. When this pneumatic 8 is collapsed, the valve 6 is moved to open the passage controlled there- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

Serial No. 744,280.

by, so that the action 1 will be put in direct communication with the exhauster 2. When the valve 6 is closed, it should be understood that the exhauster 2 is working on the action 1 through the air duct 10 having the usual regulator 11, which maintains a regulated low degree in the action. This tension may be momentarily, or for such a period as desired, increased by the opening of the valve 6. The pneumatic 8 is connected with the exhauster 2 through the passages 12, 13 and 14, the said passage being controlled by a suitable valve 15 operated by the usual pouch pneumatic 16, which is controlled from the tracker-board, as hereinafter eX plained.

The pneumatic 8 is flushed by being open to atmosphere when the valve 15 stands in the position shown in Fig. 1.

17 is a pivoted latch which normally stands in the off position shown in solid lines Fig. 1.

18 is a spring which constitutes one simple means for holding it in said ofl position.

19 is a pneumatic for swinging th latch 17 to the position indicated in dotted lines, in which position it is arranged to catch and hold the backboard of the bellows 8, the said backboard being provided with a suitable latch-engaging shoulder 20. The pneumatic 19 is connected by a duct 21 with the duct 14 leading to the exhauster 2.

22 is a valve housing containing such a valve as 15, previously described, by which said pneumatic 19 may be put in communi cation with the eXhauster or with atmosphere. The valve within the housing 22 is also operated by a pouch pneumatic such as 16, the latter being connected by a duct 23 to a valved outlet leading in one direction to the atmosphere, and in the other direction to a chamber 24 within a housing 25.

26 is a valve which opens and closes the duct 23 toatmosphere, while 27 is a valve which is capable of opening and closing the duct 23 to the chamber 24. These two valves 26 and 27 may be suitably connected, as shown in Fig. 1, so that when one is closed the other is open. These two valves 26 and 27 operate dependently and are operated by means hereinafter described, which comprises a lift bar 28. The chamber 24 is con nected by a pipe 29 with the pipe 1 1 leading to the eXhauster 2, so that a vacuum will be normally maintained therein.

30 is a tracker-board having the usual note perforations 31. The tracker-board at some convenient point, preferably at the end, is provided with one or more groups of ex prcssion openings, one group being indicated at AA-A..

32 represents a note sheetarranged to traverse the trackerboard 30 and cover the aforesaid tracker openings. This note sheet may be assumed to move in the direction of the arrow.

3Z-3*33 3435-363T represent expression perforations in the note sheet for uncovering the aforesaid expression openings A A3r at certain predetermined times according to the position of said perforations lengthwise of the sheet. The expression opening A is connected by a duct 88 with the pouch pneumatic 16 for valve 15.

20 The expression opening A is connected by a duct 39 with a pouch pneumatic so, which is arranged to lift one end of the valve operator 28 within the housing 25. The expression opening A is connected by a duct 4-1 with a pouch pneumatic 42 within the housing for lifting the other end of the valve operator 28.

The operation of the apparatus thus described is as follows: Assuming the ex- 30 pression perforation 33 is approaching the tracker-boardthis perforation when it reaches the expression opening A will allow air to enter the pouch pneumatic 16, shiftin gthe valve 15 so as to shut off the entrance 3 of atmosphere into the pneumatic 8 and put the latter in direct communication with the exhauster 2, whereupon said pneumatic 8 collapses and opens the valve 6, thereby putting the action 1 in direct communication with the exhauster 2, and since the tension of air therein is normally greater than the tension of air in the action 1, by reason of the regulator 11, it follows that so long as the valve (3 is open, a higher tension will obtain in the action 1, determined by the adjustment of valve 7. As the sheet continues to move ahead, the perforation 33 will uncover the opening A, which will result in the flushing of the pouch pneumatic 410 and the lifting of one end of the valve operator 28. When the note sheet moves still farther ahead, the perforation 83 will uncover the openin r. and will flush the pouch pneumatic 12, lifting the other end of the valve operator 28, which is so adjusted that when both ends are lifted it will reverse the position of valves 2627, opening the duct 23 to atmosphere and closing it to the vacuum w'thin the chamber 241-. This will flush the pouch within the primary valve casing and open the valve therein so as to put the pneumatic 19 in direct communication with the exhauster 2, whereby the latter will be collapsed, thus swinging the hook 17 to the dotted position to there engage the locking fa r shoulder 20 on the backboard of the pneumatic 8.

It will be observed that the perforation 33 referred to is of sufficient length to bridge the three expression openings AA-A, which comprise one group. As soon as the rear end of this long perforation 33 passes the opening A, the valve 15 will be reversed and the spring of the pneumatic 8 will tend to expand the same. On the first slight cxpanding movement, the shoulder 20 is caughtby the hook 17 and held so that the pneumatic 8 will continue to be held in a collapsed state with the valve (3 open until released, and as a result the higher tension of the exhauster will continue to pre'ail in the action 1. When, however, it is desired to close the valve 6, an expression perforation is caused to traverse the tracker and the opening A. The moment this occurs, the pouch pneumatic 16 will again be extended and the valve 15 reversed from the position shown, and the interior of the pneumatic S will again be put in communication with the exhauster 2, whereupon the pneumatic 8 will be drawn down slightly below the latch holding position and suiticient to release the hook 17, which is drawn back by the spring 18 to stand in the d isengaging position. The moment the expression perforation 33 passes the opening" A. the valve 15 will return to the position shown in Fig. 1, whereupon the pneumatic S will be flushed and will be distended to the position shown in Fig. 1, closing the valve (5. The passage of the perforation 33 over the openings A and 11 will have no effect on the pneumatic 19, because the said perforation 33 is not long enough to bridge the two expression openings in the tracker-board, and hence the valve operator 28 will not be lifted at both ends at one time.

From the foregoing it will be seen that by this simple means an expression con trolling pneumatic such as 8 may be moved into operative valve opening position and restored again to the valve closing position by means of two perforations in the note sheet, which perforations may be widely spaced. Nero it not for this, or an equivalent arrangement of parts, it would be necessary to provide one practically continuous or long perforation in the edge of the music sheet extending, for example, from the beginning of the perforation 33 to the end of the perforation 33, to maintain the pneumatic 8 collapsed for the length of time desired. The provision of a very long perforation near the edge of a music sh et tends to materially weaken the note sheet, and it will therefore be seen to be of great advantage to provide a means whereby the length of the perforations in the music sheet may be abbreviated. In other words, by my improved arrangement, the perforation 33 sets the pneumatic S in the valve opening position, and the perforation 33 releases it. It should be understood, of course, that the perforation 33 is the first perforation which succeeds the perforation 33. I may therefore characterize these perforations respectively as the setting perforation and releasing perforation. Each of the perforations 34: to 37 represent merely expression perforations designed to momentarily open the valve 6 for the purpose of securing the accenting of particular notes by momentarily increasing the tension in the action 1, these perforations 34 to 37 being appropriately positioned upon the note sheet 32 with relation to those particular note perforations which control the selection of the solo notes. When an one of these expression perforations 34: to 37 crosses the tracker. it will uncover the opening A, which will result in the shifting of the valve 15 and the mo mentary collapsing of the pneumatic S and opening of valve 6. As this particular expression perforation traverses the openings A'-A, it will have no more efl'ect thereon than the passage thereover of the perforation 33 previously described.

I have described my invention associated with only one group of expression openings in the tracker, the game being illustrated by the reference characters AA A, but it will be plainly seen by reference to the drawing that the number of groups of expression openings may be multiplied, there being in this particular instance four groups. Each group of these openings should have associated with it an arrangement of pneumatics and valves such as described in connection with the group AAA. The purpose of providing a plurality of groups of these expression perforations is to permit of a grading of the tension within the action 1 above the low regulated tension. For example, when one group of expression openings in the tracker is employed and one valve 6 opened, the tension within the action 1 is slightly greater than the low regulated tension. If two groups were employed, the tension would be still greater, and so on.

Since there is a choker-box 3 with its valves as described for each group of openings, and since it is preferred to provide a manually adjustable valve 7 in each of said boxes, it is apparent that these valves 7 in the separate choker-boxes may be set so as to give difi'erent area of opening, so that by the use of a comparatively few groups of tracker expression openings a large number of tension changes may be secured by combining properly the various groups.

From. the foregoing it will be seen that two substantial advantages are obtained.

6 First, by this improvement the note sheet is relieved in a large measure of unnecessary perforation, and, second, it avoids unnecessarily widening the note sheet, since the marginal perforation such as 33, which opens the valve 6, is arranged on the sameline with the perforation 33, which closes the valve (3, and is also arranged on the same line with the perforations 3 1- to 37, which momentarily open the valve 6 for emphasizing certain notes, whereas were it not for this arrangement the said perforations would have to be arranged on different lines so as to traverse different parts of the tracker-board, thereby requiring a longer tracker-board and :1V wider note sheet. By this improvement this extra. widening of the note sheet and lengthening of the trackerboard is avoided, and the note sheet, at or near its edges, where it subjected to the severest use, is maintained with a. maximum degree of strength. because no perform tion therein need be longer than that required to bridge one group of tracker openings, which. in actual practice need not be separated but very slightly, for example, less than half an inch.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In a player piano having a trackerboard, a pneumatic action, an exhauster, a regulated low tension air circuit leading from the former to the latter, means for abruptly increasing the tension in the action above the regulated tension, controllable from the tracker-board, a group of expression openings arranged in said tracker, the openings of said group being arranged in the line of travel of the note sheet across said tracker in combination with a note sheet having complementary expression perforations arranged in line, one of said perforations being sufficiently long to bridge at least two of said expression openings.

2. In a player piano having a trackerboard, a pneumatic action, an exhauster, a regulated low tension air circuit leading from the foaner to the latter, means for abruptly increasing the tension in the action above the regulated tension, controllable from the tracker-board, a group of expression openings arranged in said tracker, the openings of said group being arranged in the line of travel of the note sheet across said tracker, said group of openings com prising one opening for abruptly increasing the tension in said action, and means for locking the tension-controlling means in position to prolong the increased tension with at least two openings in the tracker to control said means.

3. In a player piano, a tracker-board having a group of expression controlling openings arranged substantially in the line of travel of the note sheet and arranged to be uncovered by substantially one line of note sheet perforations for controlling the operation of said pneumatic instrument, in combination with a note sheet having a series of perforations arranged substantially in line and arranged to traverse said group of tracker openings, one of said note sheet perforations being of sufficient length to bridge all of one group of tracker openings, a relatively shorter complementary note sheet perforation of a size incapable of bridging all of the openings of a group and arranged in the rear of the longer perforation, and another perforation of a size sufficient to open only one of the tracker openings of said group and arranged to operate independently of the first two described perforations and also located in the rear of the second mentioned note sheet perforation.

e. In a player piano, an action, an exhauster, a regulated circuit leading from the former to the latter for maintaining relatively low tension, means for abruptly increasing the relative tension in the action, including suitable normally closed choker mechanism and also a pneumatic for operating said choker mechanism, a tracker-board, means controllable from the tracker-board for putting said pneumatic in communication with the atmosphere or with the exhauster at will to cause said pneumatic to become distended or contracted, a latch mechanism for holding said pneumatic contracted, a latch operating pneumatic, and means for putting said latch operating pneumatic in communication with either the exhauster or atmosphere to operate the same, said means being controllable from said tracker-board, said means including a valve with a valve-operating device controllable by two pneumatics, the latter being respectively connected with two openings in the tracker-board in addition to the opening by which the choker pneumatic is controlled,

all of said openings in said tracker being arranged in substantial alinement in the direction of travel of the note sheet to comprise one group.

5. In a player piano of the pneumatic type, a pneumatic action, an exhauster connected therewith, means for effecting a nor mal regulated low tension in the action relatively to the tension in the exhauster, means for increasing the tension in the action including a normally closed choker with a pneumatic for opening and closing said choker, said pneumatic also being in communication with the said exhauster, a normally closed valve in the line of said communication, a primary pneumatic for controlling said valve, said primary pneumatic being controlled from the tracker-board and including a duct leading from said primary pneumatic to an opening in the tracker board, two additional openings in the trackerboard directly behind the firstmentioned opening relatively to the direction of travel of a note sheet, with means in communication with the last mentioned two openings, and including a latch for locking the choker pneumatic open in the choker opening position when all of said openings are uncovered at one time, and means for releasing said latch and freeing said choker pneumatic when the first mentioned opening is next uncovered, in combination with a note sheet having the alined perforations for coacting with said openings, one of said perforations being long enough to open all of said tracker openings at one time, and other perforations long enough to open only one of said tracker openings at a time.

FRr NK C. \VHITE.

Vitnesses L. A. KUi-INLE, C. L. PIERCE.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing" the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

